The Beast

Accounting IS DIFFICULT. I thought I would go ahead and get that off of my chest from the beginning and now that I did, let me show you:

Which account has a normal balance of a debit?

1.) Accounts payable

2.) Sales

3.) Cash

4.) Purchase Returns and Allowances

Going right into chapter one within minutes of my first class, I was being told this course was more of a language course than a math one so, I got worried. I am a math guy, not a language guy. Having had such a rough time getting through my Spanish courses in high-school, I am so grateful to have learned English. Anyhow, the answer to this problem would be Cash. Every account has what we call a normal balance, and this balance can be either a debit or credit. Usually, all transactions are documented using journal entries where accounts are debited or credited accordingly, depending on the transaction that is taking place. For an accountant keeping record of a cash account, this account would have a normal balance of a debit because that is the way it is. Great explanation, right? Yea I know, not really, but this is what I had to sink in, while learning the material my first day. 

Within the next week, I was making Adjusting entries, meant for year-end adjustments for instances where interest or depreciation of equipment would be taken into account. Adjusting entries come up for several more instances and all that you need to know about them are that they are too, highly confusing. While learning the material, I recall there being a number that you would have to calculate. This was your adjustment and therefore the number that went into your adjustment journal entry. Seems easy enough but not at all. In these problems, there was always an ending balance figure provided for the account that you were making an adjustment for. This is what the account SHOULD BE, but not the number we want to take. What the ending balance figure is in the account is not equal to the adjustment at year-end and we have to remember that we want the adjustment figure and not the ending figure. Makes some kind of sense, right? Yea, maybe not, but it will with practice.

Ignoring the heads up I was given, I really began to realize that this way truly an applications course. You had to know it, and everything about it, step-by-step to be confident in your final answer. I remember one of my Professor's best students from a couple years back giving my whole class his phone number for tutoring sessions. He volunteered to share his honest opinion of the class and he summed it up in the two words, "The Beast." This stuck with me, maybe not so much at the beginning, but shortly after when I realized the procrastination was only going to make it worse. 

What I want you all to get from my blog is a sense of realization. My professor volunteered to say it himself, "Do not take accounting courses, unless you have too." However, do not be scared away, as there are still those willing and wanting to take on the challenge. The benefits afterwards will far outweigh the frustration you went through to get to the finish line.